Test menu expansion system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9645159-B2
Application number	US-201414760279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2014
Priority date	Jan 14, 2013
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

An automation system for use with an in vitro diagnostics environment includes a track and a plurality of carriers configured to move along the track and hold one or more of a plurality of samples and one or more of a plurality of reagents having reagent types. The system also includes one or more testing stations, one or more local reagent storage areas located at or proximate to the one or more testing stations and one or more central reagent storage areas. The system further includes a control system configured to direct the one or more reagents from the one or more local reagent storage areas to the one or more testing stations based on received reagent information and direct the one or more reagents from the one or more central reagent storage areas to the one or more testing stations based on the received reagent information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automation system for use with in vitro diagnostics comprising:
a track configured to provide one or more paths;
a plurality of carriers configured to move independently along the track, each of the plurality of carriers configured to hold at least one of: (i) one or more of a plurality of sample tubes; and (ii) one or more of a plurality of reagent packs containing reagents having reagent types;
a plurality of local modules linked by the track, each of the plurality of modules comprising:
one or more testing stations, each testing station configured to perform one or more tests by combining one or more reagents from the one or more reagent packs with a sample from the one or more sample tubes, and
one or more local reagent storage areas located at or proximate to the one or more testing stations and configured to store the one or more reagent packs;

one or more central reagent storage areas housed apart from the a plurality of local modules configured to store the one or more reagent packs and accessible to the a plurality of carriers; and
a control system configured to: (i) direct the one or more reagent packs from the one or more local reagent storage areas to the one or more testing stations based on received reagent information; and (ii) direct the one or more reagent packs from the one or more central reagent storage areas to the one or more testing stations via the plurality of carriers based on the received reagent information.

2. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein
the one or more local reagent storage areas are configured to store one or more common reagents of the plurality of reagent packs,
the one or more central reagent storage areas are configured to store one or more uncommon reagents of the plurality of reagent packs, and
the control system is further configured to: (i) direct the one or more reagent packs having a common reagent type from the one or more local reagent storage areas to the one or more testing stations to perform the one or more tests based on received reagent information; and (ii) direct the one or more reagent packs having an uncommon reagent type from the one or more central reagent storage areas to the one or more testing stations to perform the one or more tests based on the received reagent information.

3. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the reagent information comprises scheduling information indicating at least one of: (i) an amount of the one or more reagent types scheduled to be combined with the one or more samples at one or more scheduled times; and (ii) an amount of the one or more reagent types scheduled to be combined with the one or more samples at the one or more testing stations.

4. The automation system of claim 3 , wherein the scheduling information is received via a laboratory information system.

5. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the reagent information is received via a user interface.

6. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to direct the one or more common reagent packs and the one or more uncommon reagent packs based on historical testing information.

7. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to direct the one or more reagent packs having a common reagent type and the one or more reagent packs having an uncommon reagent type between: (i) the one or more local reagent storage areas; (ii) the one or more central reagent storage areas; and (iii) the testing stations to perform the one or more tests.

8. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to direct the one or more reagent packs having a common reagent type to the one or more central reagent storage areas prior to directing the one or more reagent packs having the common reagent type to the one or more testing stations.

9. The automation system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more local reagent storage areas comprise at least one long term local reagent storage area, and
the control system is further configured to direct the one or more of the plurality of reagent packs from the one or more central storage areas to the at least one long term local reagent storage area prior to directing the one or more reagent packs to the one or more testing stations.

10. The automation system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more local reagent storage areas comprise at least one short term local reagent storage area, and
the control system is further configured to direct one or more of the plurality of reagent packs from the one or more central storage areas to the at least one short term local reagent storage area prior to directing the one or more reagent packs to the one or more testing stations.

11. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein groups of the plurality of reagents are stored in the reagent packs, and
the control system is further configured to: (i) direct one or more reagent packs having an uncommon reagent type from the one or more central reagent storage areas to the one or more testing stations to perform the one or more tests based on the received reagent information; and (ii) direct the one or more uncommon reagent type reagent packs having at least one uncommon reagent remaining in the respective one or more uncommon reagent type packs (a) back to the one or more central reagent storage areas after the one or more tests is performed or (b) to the one or more local reagent storage areas after the one or more tests is performed.

12. The automation system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more pick and place devices for moving the plurality of sample tubes and the plurality of reagent packs between: (i) the one or more local reagent storage areas; (ii) the one or more central reagent storage areas; (iii) the testing stations to perform the one or more tests; and (iv) the track.

13. The automation system of claim 1 , further comprising a reagent track configured to provide one or more reagent paths,
wherein the control system is further configured to: (i) direct the one or more sample tubes along the track; and (ii) direct the one or more reagent packs having a common reagent type and the one or more reagent packs having an uncommon reagent type along the reagent track.

14. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to direct one or more of the plurality of reagent packs based on the received reagent information indicating at least one of: (i) an amount of each type of common reagent stored at the one or more local reagent storage areas; (ii) an amount of each type of uncommon reagent stored at the one or more central storage areas; (iii) one or more locations of each type of common reagent on the track; and (iv) one or more locations of each type of uncommon reagent on the track.

15. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to direct one or more of the plurality of reagent packs based on testing information indicating which testing station is configured to perform the one or more tests.

16. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to remove empty reagent packs from the track.

17. The automation system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to direct empty packs from the one or more local reagent storage areas to the one or more central reagent storage areas.

18. An automation system for use with in vitro diagnostics comprising:
(I) a plurality of analyzers, each of the plurality of analyzers comprisin

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc

Inventors

• Pollack Benjamin S
• Gelbman Alexander
• German Ryan

Classifications

• G01N35/1002

  Reagent dispensers · CPC title

• G01N35/00663

  of consumables · CPC title

• G01N35/0095

  introducing urgent samples with priority, e.g. Short Turn Around Time Samples [STATS] · CPC title

• Y10T436/114165

  with step of insertion or removal from test line · CPC title

• G01N2035/0091

  GUI [graphical user interfaces] · CPC title